But 'White Iverson' was an undeniable hit (and earworm). And in the past year, the 20 year old has been able to accumulate enough clout to be on tracks with Kanye West and 50 Cent, and to be Justin Bieber's opening act.

When asked by the Breakfast Club why Malone wasn't included on this year's list, this is what XXL editor-in chief Vanessa Satten had to say.

"We were told by his camp that he wasn't playing attention to hip hop so much. He was going in more of a rock/pop/country direction."